Welcome to Islam, - * Was Prophet Muhammad influenced by Jews or Christians? -II

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The tradition that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,)may Allaah exalt his mention(, heard Qayss bin Saa`idah preach at the `Ukaath fair isforged and discarded, as one of its narrators, Muhammad bin Hallaaj Al-Laakhmi, is a confirmed liar. The suggestion that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, learnt from Zayd bin Haarithah, may Allaah be pleased with him, is discarded on the ground that Zayd came to the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,as a little boy and as a result he could not have taught Christianity to his foster father. Moreover, Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, had genuine faith in the Prophet’s message and followed him,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,until his death.
The allegation that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, received instructions from Waraqah bin Nawfal on Christianity is rejected on the ground that, if this information is true, then the Quraysh would have made a very big issue about it. The assertion that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was instructed by a foreigner, is already properly addressed and rebutted by the Quran itself, and is not discussed here. If some of the Christians and Jews of Makkah had provided the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,with information about former religions, they would not have faith in the Prophet’s mission and leadership and would never have become Muslims themselves.
The Makkan tribes tortured a number of such converts in order to extort an admission that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had obtained help from them. Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, one of the victims of oppression when persecuted and tortured to the extreme, gave a significant reply: "It is not I who teaches Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,rather it is he who teaches and guides me." ]Tafseer Al-Qurtubi[
Some of the points raised in this connection by Dr. Jamal Badawi, a renowned propagator of Islam in Canada are worth noting. He says: “It would be highly imaginary to say that through his occasional chats with Jews and Christians, while busy with his caravan, Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, learned enough about either or both religions to formulate a new powerful and viable religion, a task that defies the collective efforts of scholars for centuries.”
Furthermore, the above assertion raises a number of questions. Dr. Jamal Badawi puts forth the following six questions:
1. Why is it, that in spite of the abundance of historical material on the life of Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,and in spite of the extensive research on his life for centuries by his critics, why was it not possible to discover the mysterious teacher who allegedly taught Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, all that he learned?
2. It is known that Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was opposed, ridiculed and persecuted for nearly thirteen years by his own contemporaries. Was it not possible for his enemies to prove to the masses that Prophet Muhammad's,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,claim of revelation was sheer fabrication? Was it not possible for them to reveal and name whom they alleged to be the human sources of his teachings? Even some of his adversaries who made this assertion changed their minds later on, and accused him, instead, of magic or of being possessed by evil.
3. Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was raised among his people and every aspect of his life was exposed to them, especially by the openness that characterizes tribal life in the desert. How could his contemporaries, including many of his close relatives who knew him so well, believe in his truthfulness if they had any doubt that he was claiming credit for ideas taught to him by some other teachers, without bothering to give them credit?
4. What kind of teacher might have taught Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why did he or they )if any( not speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them, while ignoring them and claiming some other Divine source for his teachings?
5. How could many Jews and Christians amongst his contemporaries become Muslims and believe in his truthfulness, if they knew that he was copying from their scriptures or learning from their priests or rabbis?
6. It is known that some of the Quranic revelations came to Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the presence of people. The Quran was revealed during the span of 23 years. If the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had a teacher, where was he? How could he,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, have hidden the teacher for so long? On the other hand, how could Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who was constantly surrounded by followers, be able to make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for 23 years without being ‘caught’ even once?
Gradual Growth of Accuracy in the Quran
The teachings of Islam in the Quran such as the rules and duties are indeed spelt out gradually over a period of 23 years, and the arrangement of the revealed verses and chapters are according to the need of the society at the time. A good example is the warning regarding intoxicants in the Quran, and how they were finally prohibited. The prohibition did not come all of a sudden. The society was first spiritually prepared to accept such a prohibition, and when the prohibition came into effect, it was accepted openly and gladly. This may look as a gradual growth in accuracy for some of the Orientalists who may make an issue out of it, but it is not so. However, it is worth noticing that some of the Orientalists have started to discard this line of thinking.
The Quran is not a derivation from the Judeo-Christian scriptures as claimed by the Orientalists and as evidenced by the following:
Some Information Given in the Quran that is Not Mentioned in the Bible:
·Some of the Prophets mentioned in the Quran i.e. Saalih )for the Thamood( and Hood )for the `Aad(, may Allaah exalt their mention, are not even mentioned in the Bible.
·Information given in the Quran about Prophet Ibraaheem )Abraham(, may Allaah exalt his mention, specifically about his teachings on monotheism and the resulting struggle is not found in the Bible
·The incidents of ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his mention, speaking in the cradle and confirming the chastity of his mother; giving life to the birds made by clay by God's permission, and the table of food descending from heaven
·Moosaa )Moses(, may Allaah exalt his mention, traveling to the "meeting place of two seas"
·The incident of Pharaoh's plan to kill Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, and that a "believer" in Pharaoh's court dissuaded him from carrying out his plan
·Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, striking the 12 springs for each Jewish tribe
·The magicians in Pharaoh’s court dying for their belief in God.
Instances where theQuran contradicts accounts given in the Bible
·The preaching of Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention, was specifically monotheism according to Quran
·The Quran categorically denies the concept of Trinity and confirms that ‘Eesaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was no more than a Prophet -- not god, not the son-of-god and not part of a Trinity
·The Quran categorically states that ‘Eesaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was not crucified or killed
·The Quran states that all the Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, were noble men sent by Allaah and clears all the Prophets from evil intention or evil actions, as against what can be found in the Bible
·TheQuran testifies that all the Prophets of God, may Allaah exalt their mention, were sincere in their mission for which they were sent by God, and never betrayed their mission as suggested in the Bible in the case of Moosaa )Moses( and Haaroon )Aaron(, may Allaah exalt their mention; or sinned as in the case of Loot )Lut(, Daawood )David(, Sulaymaan )Solomon(, may Allaah exalt their mention, and others.
More Details are given in the Quran as Compared to the Bible
1.Incidents relating to Prophet Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention.
2. Maryam )Mary(, may Allaah be pleased with her, being asked to pray to Allaah -- implying that she was a human being who required the mercy of God.
3. The whole story of Yoosuf )Joseph(, may Allaah exalt his mention, delivered in a spiritual atmosphere with more details of his life that are not found in the Bible.
It is true that some of the historical incidents are mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran, but this does not mean that the Quran selected them from these sources. Instead, it is a confirmation of the events of the past but looking at them with a clear vision. There was no library or museum in Makkah, and the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, could not read or write. There were no scholars and philologists in Makkah to unravel the secrets of ancient work to the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
While casually recognizing that there are new elements in the Quran, the Orientalists seem to have never paid attention to find the sources of these elements. If they had done so, the Orientalists would surely have found reason to see that the assumptions under which they have been laboring so diligently and impressively need revision.

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Welcome to Islam, - * Was Prophet Muhammad influenced by Jews or Christians? - I

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Allegations
The Orientalists allege that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( was subject to the Judeo-Christian influence of his time and that the Quran reflects this influence. It was suggested that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had faced two big problems if he were to embrace Judaism or Christianity. If he became a Christian, he would be bringing in the Christian Byzantine regime to Makkah, which would not be tolerated by the people of Makkah. The second problem was that he could not pretend that he knew more than the older members and priests of those two religions -- Judaism and Christianity. Thus, in both instances, he could not acquire leadership. Hence, Orientalists suggest that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, decided to reproduce the role of Moosaa )Moses( or ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt their mention, because he saw that "they were men, and he could do what they had done."
Orientalists allege that the monotheistic influence on Islam was due to the presence of Christians and Jews in Makkah. They also suggested that there was a monotheist informant from one of those religions. However at a different stage, they also suggested that what the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, received from his informant "would be factual knowledge" but the "meaning and interpretation of the facts" came to him "by the usual process of revelation".
They suggested that the gradual growth in accuracy of the Quran’s narration pertinent to biblical stories is evidence that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, got these stories from an informant.
They alleged that the Quran replicated contemporary errors that were originally found in the Judeo-Christian scriptures.
Refutations
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was only 12 years old when he met Baheera )a Christian monk( for a very short period of time on the way to Syria. Such a brief meeting would not have been sufficient to discuss religious doctrines. It is illogical to assume that a young boy could discuss religious doctrines and scriptural prophecy about the coming of the Messenger, etc, at this tender age.
The Orientalists acknowledged a part of this meeting, but they fail to acknowledge the other aspects, which speak about:
Baheera's knowledge concerning the prophecy in the Scriptures regarding the coming of the new prophet
Baheera’s recognition of the sign of prophethood in Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
Baheera’s advice to Abu Talib to take the boy home.
When confronted with the above information, William Muir )a Scottish Orientalist, 1819 – 1905 CE( even tried to explain it as a mistake or as a forgery of a designing monk. In order to downplay the importance of Baheera’s recognition of the sign of prophethood, Muir wrote a footnote saying that the report is full of absurdities, but later realizing his recklessness, he omitted the footnote in subsequent editions without altering the main text.
It is common knowledge that a trade caravan traveling in the harsh desert would concentrate their trade in populated areas only, and avoid wandering into deserted habitations and ruined townships or empty church assemblies, just for the sight seeing pleasure of a young boy. Yet Muir suggests that the caravan passed near Petra, Jerash, Ammon and other ruined cities and that these sights influenced the young Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
In Makkah, there were only a few Christians of humble social and intellectual status, being either slaves or petty retailers and mostly immigrants. Only one or two original residents of Makkah such as `Uthmaan bin Al-Huwayrith and Waraqah bin Nawfal had become Christians, the former out of personal or political considerations, and the latter as a result of his search for better faith. The Makkan community had some second-hand knowledge of these two religions of Judaism and Christianity.
The question is, would a person of the stature, knowledge and intelligence of Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,proceed to propound a new religion and challenge the credibility of both the prevailing systems of Judaism and Christianity only on the basis of hearsay and superficial knowledge of them, as suggested by Orientalists?
The Orientalists are not consistent in their allegation that:
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was ambitious and therefore careful enough to avoid the political implications of embracing either Judaism or Christianity
He was careless enough to institute a new religion based on information picked up from bazaar gossips and Jewish storytellers at wine shops.
Monotheistic Judeo-ChristianInfluence
It is naïve to say that Islam is blend of second-hand information about Judaism and Christianity with an inkling of Arab elements in it. It is absurd to suggest that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was cognizant of the two religious systems.
The concept of prophethood, the memory of Ibraaheem )Abraham(, may Allaah exalt his mention, as a prophet and founder of the Ka`bah, which the Arabs universally cherished, as well as the rites of Hajj )pilgrimage to the Ka’bah( instituted by Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, were unquestionably from before the time of Jews and Christians. Pre-Islamic Arabs, independent of any Jewish or Christian influence, knew the concept of Allaah as the supreme God. The teachings of Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, found haven in Arabia long before the arrival of Judaism or Christianity and the Arabs were already acquainted with the word‘Haneef’as the worshipper of One God.
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, accused the contemporary Arabs, Jews and Christians of having deviated from the original teachings of their prophets and of having degenerated into polytheism. He also rejected what they claimed to be the teachings of their scriptures. So he cannot be misconstrued as having conceived the idea of monotheism from the Judeo-Christian influence.
The Quran does not maintain that it is teaching a new religion. Instead it upholds and revives the original teachings God has given through all Prophets of all nations. It claims that its teachings are the same as that of Ibraaheem )Abraham(, Moosaa )Moses( and ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt their mention, and speaks about all of them in glowing terms. Since every Orientalist agrees on the fact that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has not read any of the scriptures, therefore, his source of knowledge must be something else.
The rejection of Biblical teachings about the son or father of god was rejected even in the Makkan Soorahs )chapters of the Quran( long before the Prophet’s migration to Al-Madeenah. Hence, it is not correct to say that these renunciations came about, at the wake of the separation from the Jews and Christians in Al-Madeenah.
It was impossible to get even a glimpse of monotheism by observing Judaism and Christianity in those days. The practices of these two religious groups were steeped in the most debasing corruption and superstitions, which are vastly removed from monotheism.
The various reform movements in Christianity, particularly the Cluniac Movement, the Iconoclastic Movement and the Reformation started by Martin Luther bear testimony to the depth of degradation into which the Christians and Christianity of the day had descended. In a way, all these reform movements and the subsequent emphasis on monotheism, in spite of an adherence to the doctrines of Trinity and divinity of Christ are largely, results of the uncompromising monotheism enunciated and propagated by Islam. In other words, it was Islam that influenced the revival movements in Christianity and not the other way around.

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * The Jews have no right to enter the Arabian Peninsula

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It is said that the Jew Labeed ibn al-A’sam was able to able to obtain something from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [for the purpose of witchcraft] by the help of a Jewish slave woman who used to enter the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Does this mean that it is permissible to employ the services of Jews?
What is the meaning of the expulsion of the Jews as narrated in the ahaadeeth? I hope that you could explain the presence of the Jews in Madeenah, as it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expelled them from the city?
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that the Jews be expelled from the Arabian Peninsula, and said that no two religions should co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula. This is a shar’i ruling. It is not permissible for any mushrik to remain there. With regard to the presence of the Jews in Madeenah, Khaybar, etc., this was before the command to expel them, as is well known. The command to expel them came during the final illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) expelled them after that.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr.

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * To whom is the book Nahj al-Balaaghah attributed?

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I would like to ask how authentic the book Nahj al-Balaagha is and what your opinion of it is?
Praise be to Allaah.
The bookNahj al-Balaaghahis one of the books that are attributed to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him), but it contains many things concerning which those who claim to be Muslims have disputed. Following the great scientific principle which was followed by the imams of Islam in obedience to the shar’i command to verify reports, we have no choice but to refer to the scholars and specialists to check on the veracity of the things that are attributed to ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), because what is narrated from the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) has an effect on sharee’ah, especially in the case of someone like Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), concerning whom some people have exaggerated or fallen short, but Allaah guided the Ahl al-Sunnah to follow a middle course.
By referring to the words of the scholars concerning this book and comparing its contents with what has been proven with saheeh isnaads from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), it becomes clear that there is material in this book that contradicts what was proven from him (may Allaah be pleased with him). So we should look at what some of these great scholars have said:
Imaam al-Dhahabi (may Allaah be pleased with him) said in his biography of al-Murtada ‘Ali ibn Husayn ibn Moosa al-Moosawi (d. 436 AH): I said, he was the compiler of the book Nahj al-Balaaghah which is attributed to Imam ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), but the reports contained therein have are no isnaads. Some of it is false and some of it is true, but it contains some frabricated reports of things that the Imam would never have said. But who is the fair-minded man who would look at it in an objective manner?! It was said that it was compiled by his brother Shareef al-Radiy. It includes slander against the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); we seek refuge with Allaah from knowledge that is of no benefit.
Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 17/589
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Most of the khutab (sermons) that the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahincludes in his book are lies against ‘Ali. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) is too noble and too worthy to have uttered such words. But these people fabricated lies and thought that they were praise, but they are neither truth nor praise. Whoever says that the words of ‘Ali or any other human being are above the words of any other created being is mistaken, for the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are above his words, and both of them are created beings. Moreover the correct meanings that are to be found in the words of ‘Ali are to be found in the words of others, but the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahand his ilk took many of the things that people say and made them the words of ‘Ali. There are some words narrated from ‘Ali that he did say, and some of them are true words that would have been befitting for him to say, but in fact they are the words of others. Hence inKalaam al-Bayaan wa’l-Tabyeenby al-Haafiz and in other books there are words narrated from people other than ‘Ali and the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahattributed them to ‘Ali. If these sermons which were transmitted inNahj al-Balaaghahwere really spoken by ‘Ali, they would have been found in other books that existed before this book was written, and they would have been narrated from ‘Ali with isnaads and otherwise. It is known from those who are well versed in the study of narrations that many of them (these sermons) – indeed most of them – were unknown before this, therefore it may be concluded that they are fabrications. So the narrator should state in which book they are mentioned, who narrated it from ‘Ali, and what its isnaad is. Otherwise, anybody could say something and claim that it was said by ‘Ali. Those who are well-versed in the knowledge of the hadeeth scholars and of reports and isnaads and are able to tell what is sound and what is not sound would know that these people who transmitted reports from ‘Ali are the least likely people to know about reports and be able to distinguish the sound from the unsound.
Manhaaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah, 8/55.
Other scholars who pointed out the lies in this book was al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi, inal-Jaami’ li Akhlaaq al-Raawi wa Adaab al-Saami’, 2.161; al-Qaadi Ibn Khalkaan; al-Safadi, and others. The things that have been said against it may be summarized in the following points:
1. There are seven generations of narrators between ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) and the author of this book, and he did not mention any name whatsoever. Hence we cannot accept his words without an isnaad.
2. If these narrators are mentioned, it is essential to research about them and find out whether they are trustworthy.
3. The fact that most of these sermons did not exist before this book was written indicates that they were fabricated.
4. Al-Murtada – the author of the book – was not one of the scholars of reports, rather he was one of those whose religious commitment and competence were debatable.
5. The slander that it contains against the leading Sahaabah is sufficient to count it as false.
6. The insults and slander that it contains are not the characteristics of the believers, let alone their leaders such as ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him).
7. It contains contradictions and clumsy expressions from which it may be known for certain that it was not produced by one who was prominent in eloquence and fluency.
8. The fact that the Raafidah accept it and are certain that it is as true as the Qur’aan, despite all these objections, indicates that they do not pay attention to verifying sources and ensuring that they are sound with regard to the matters of their religion.
Based on the above, it is clear that this book cannot be attributed to ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), therefore nothing in it can be used as evidence in matters of sharee’ah, no matter what the issue is. But whoever reads it in order to find out what it contains of eloquence, the ruling is the same as that on all other books on Arabic language, without attributing its contents to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him).
See Kutub hadhdhara minha al-‘Ulama’, 2/250

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